MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Miami Dolphins came out sloppy and struggled in the first half of a must-win game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. But rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa helped them rise to the occasion in the second half, bouncing back from his own benching and injury for a 19-7 win Sunday.

There is plenty to correct including mistakes and penalties, and two separate scuffles that led to Xavien Howard, DeVante Parker and Mack Hollins getting ejected. This wasn't a pretty game by any means, but the Dolphins fought through adversity. That's an important attribute for a playoff team and one Tagovailoa is getting to prove he can excel in early on his NFL career.

Once again, the Dolphins' defense was the star of the show, getting six sacks, two turnovers and allowing seven points. But this game was important for Tagovailoa, who finished with a career-high 296 passing yards and no turnovers, as the Dolphins make a playoff push.

The Dolphins improved to 8-4 for the first time since 2003.

Describe the game in two words. Sloppy chaos. There were 14 combined penalties, including a Dolphins illegal procedure penalty that wiped out a touchdown on a fake field goal attempt, five total ejections and a key drop by Jakeem Grant for a potential touchdown. There are a bunch of teaching points, but coach Brian Flores will be happy to have them after a win rather than a loss.

QB breakdown: It's unclear whether it was rust or lack of rhythm, but Tagovailoa and the offense had a rocky first half with struggles to move the ball, and his accuracy was shaky. But Tagovailoa settled down with the best quarter of his career coming out of the half, going 13-of-16 for 167 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter.

The rookie looked confident, in rhythm and was taking chances on 50-50 balls, particularly to tight end Mike Gesicki. The chemistry between Tagovailoa and Gesicki, who had nine catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, is reason for optimism for the Dolphins' offense.

Promising trend: Even though he was ejected in the first half, Howard had his NFL-best eighth interception of the season. It's a career high, and he keeps finding the ball. Howard is the NFL's best ball hawk and he deserves to be in the conversation for the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award.